The Dallas Mavericks aim to enhance their lineup this offseason following a defeat to the Boston Celtics in five games during the NBA Finals. With stars like Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, they possess elite talent but require stronger supporting players.
A key area of improvement is acquiring more proficient 3-point shooters. Their perimeter shooting deficiencies were evident in the series against Boston and significantly contributed to their loss, as it allowed the Celtics to focus more on defending Doncic and Irving.
Michael Scotto from HoopsHype reports that the Dallas Mavericks have shown initial interest in veteran shooting guard Landry Shamet, who currently plays for the Washington Wizards.
Shamet joined the Wizards last summer as part of the three-team trade involving Chris Paul and Jordan Poole, coming from the Phoenix Suns. Last season, he averaged 7.1 points per game and experienced a career-low shooting percentage of 33.8% from beyond the arc. His shooting struggles were partly attributed to the Wizards’ playmaking limitations. However, there is optimism that Shamet could have a bounce-back season if he plays alongside playmakers like Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in a system that provides better floor spacing. Throughout his career, Shamet has maintained a solid shooting percentage of 38.4% from three-point range.
The Mavericks are currently looking to offload Tim Hardaway Jr., who is set to make north of $16 million in the last year of his contract. Shamet has two years, $22.75 million remaining on his contract, with the second year being a team option. Any framework involving these two teams likely deals with Hardaway going to Washington with a swap of second-round picks. Dallas dealt with Washington at the trade deadline, making a deal for Daniel Gafford and not quite completing a trade for Kyle Kuzma.
Availability is a concern for the 27-year-old from Wichita State, as he hasn’t played in more than 70 games since his rookie season. In the last two seasons combined, he’s appeared in just 86 total games. Shamet has been a part of some successful teams, such as the 2022 Suns who won more than 60 games, and the 2020 Clippers and 2021 Nets, who each finished second in their respective conferences that season.
